


Hiding on the Run

by Ohnoitsoak



Category: The Mechanisms (Band)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, again i dont know how to tag things, someone help me out thanks, they/them Ivy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22972591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohnoitsoak/pseuds/Ohnoitsoak
Summary: After a confrontation between Raphaella with a stranger and an alarming discovery made by Marius, the crew of the Aurora finds themselves faced with a conflict they thought was long since dead.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 86





	1. Chapter 1

The Mechanisms had a month to themselves- floating off on their own into their desired chaos. Tonight was a quiet night for Raphaella. Sitting in a bar without the bickering of the other 7 was almost deterring, especially that in the twenty minutes she had been here, the establishment still stood. The bar wasn’t even that full- only one or two other patrons, plus the bartender. The neon lights from the outside world shined in their bright reds, accompanied by music very unlike that of which the crew played.

Then _she_ entered.

She was a tall woman, her layered clothing hiding more of her form. As she slugged her long jacket onto the bar chair beside them, she was revealed to be slim, with a lab coat (well worn) and a kimono, (also well worn but whose patterns were as bright as ever).

“The Usual.” She motioned to the bartender. They nodded, and briefly went into the back room, before returning with a glass of some assortment of wine. Her drink was about as red as her hair- or her eyes- or maybe it was the lighting. Raphaella couldn’t exactly tell, but she was certainly enamoured with this stranger. She considered her drink for a moment, taking a sip, before next considering her.

“I haven’t seen you before, have I?” The woman studied her like a hawk. 

“Ah- no. I’m just visiting the capital.” 

“Figures.” She shrugged lightly, before returning to nurse her drink more. They sit in silence for a moment, Raph feeling the eyes of the woman watching her. She leaned into her own drink more. When she next spoke, she was softer sounding, and hushed. 

“How are they?”

“Who?” Raphaella looked over reluctantly, meeting her eyes. Those damn eyes.

“Your friends.”

“I’m sorry?” 

“Your friends.” She looked her up and down again, more obviously. Raph had taken a coat and installed a smaller pair of wings before she left Aurora- she believes one of Marius’ long coats, and keeping her wings folded up below it. After the stunts the crew had pulled from the previous years before, no matter how immortal, they still had some form of self-preservation, staying laid low. They found that she had been staring at the insignia emblazoned on her coat’s arm- the Aurora, faded it may have been, was quite the giveaway, if not her misshapen back.

“You’re not here to arrest me, are you?”

“‘No, no none of the sort. Call me an enthusiast.” Raphaella couldn’t help but notice her... linger on being an enthusiast. A cold breeze passed them as a patron left the bar, the bitter night seeping in. 

“Ah, well, they’re fine.”

“You can do better than that- how’s Ivy?” She returned to that hushed voice. With this, her posture straightened, a mix of confusion and alarm bloomed on her face. She continued.“Oh don’t tell me you haven’t seen the posters for you all- ‘Highly armed and dangerous, do not approach, call your local militia core’.. yadda yadda yadda... You all have made quite the names for yourselves.”

“Well. I-Ivy’s fine.”

“Good to hear, good to hear.” She paused for a moment to think before a smile began to creep on her face. “What about the others? Ashes? Brian?”

“They’re alright as well.” The woman let out an audible hum, before taking a long sip of her drink. 

“How about... Tim?”

“Took a bit of a beating in that race.. but he’s good too.” The words came out as a mutter, her curt intentions beginning to slip. The woman laughed at the comment all the same, as if from a joke with an old friend. Within her smile glowed two sharpened canines, which turned her laugh into something almost monstrous. 

“That’s certainly exciting! What about the strange one- Byron- no, Marius?”

“Marius- he’s enjoyed himself on this planet. The amount of artificial intelligence on this planet is almost... Comforting to him I guess. We’re both a bit more private with our pasts, unlike the others.” What was she doing? The lady leaned on the bar to listen, her smile only growing. 

“How’s Jonathan?” Adjusting her seat closer, she looked her dead in her eyes for this one. Her piercing stare almost matched her smile. The other patron left. 

“Jonny? As wild as ever.” Those words practically fell out of their mouth. Raph blinked more- she felt tired, almost dizzy. She reached a hand to her mouth, with a new sense of powerlessness. The words now pouring out of her mouth were too difficult to keep up with.

“What about Nastya?” She asked.

“Nastya?” 

“Nastya Rasputina? Cyberian, almost no complexion, plays the violin like no other.” She gestures as she speaks, swirling her drink. She holds a fondness in her voice and is probably the warmest she had spoken yet. Pride, maybe?

“Oh. Well, she left. Jonny thinks she died, somehow.” The woman’s entire body language changed. A frown formed on her face, staring at the floor of the bar, in thought. It eventually formed into a scowl, into a mix of anger and upset. With that, Raph felt the control of her mind returning. She held her head for a moment and blinked rapidly before looking back at the woman.

“What did you do to me?” She looked between the woman and their own drink, suspiciously. She broke out of her thinking to smile at her. 

“Oh, nothing to worry about. I was just curious how they were doing, Raphaella. I mean, it’s been just so _long_.”

“It’s _you._ ” With this, Raph stood up, placing a couple of credits on the bar and pulling their coat tight. Walking out into the cold night, Raph heard _her_ call after them again, before following, the door sliding shut once again. Raphaella tried to walk, get away from the bar, but the woman was on her tail. Barely even nine steps out the door and she placed a hand on her shoulder. Cold seeped through the jacket as if it was the hand of a dead man on skin. Her grip was tight.

“Some advice.” 

Raph barely turned towards her, her fear crept into the hairs on the back of her neck. Raphaella looked back at her. She looked about to speak, giving her a look up and down. With a fluid motion, Raphaella pulled her coat off and unfurled her wings. Even a small pair of wings- her size grew with every metal feather. Wings of her own design- but definitely not the best. Not yet. With a flash of... Fear? Determination? in her eyes, the woman’s hand dropped the released coat and took a step back.

Her glare was met with yet another smile, but this time one of awe.

“Doesn’t seem like you need my help after all.”

And with that, Raph grabbed her coat and departed. She didn’t return to the Aurora that night, not for the next three days. When she did, the only Mechanisms aboard were Ivy and Ashes.

When she describes this to Ashes they call for the rest of the Mechanisms. Returning back to Aurora, the crew discuss briefly and leave immediately. They triple check the storage-bays and every vent and crawlspace of the Aurora. Nothing. 

The terror on Jonny’s face was a sight to behold. The group remained together for the evening, recounting their pasts with Carmilla. Marius shifted uneasily, and Raphaella could do nothing but listen. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


It was only after a month of escaping the planet did Marius find the tracker in his coat pocket.


	2. Chapter 2

“Ashes! Ashes!” He called, almost falling over himself. 

Marius ran down the halls of the Aurora- it was currently whatever they considered evening while flying through the stars. With a tight metallic grip on his old coat, his legs nearly carried him past the door to the mess hall. Raphaella, Ashes, Toy Soldier and Brian were all gathered, undergoing their own mindless tasks. Raphaella was adjusting a set of her wings, Brian was messing with one of Aurora’s consoles. Ashes was playing some form of cards with the Toy Soldier. When Marius was there last, Tim and Ivy were present, but assumedly returned to their quarters, since their cards from the game were seemingly reshuffled into the deck. The most likely situation with Jonny was that he was probably dead somewhere else on the ship, regenerating.

“I’m not fishing any more octokittens out of your vents, you can do it yourself,” Ashes dismissed him, originally. Marius then pulled the small, metal scrap from the coat’s pocket and tossed it to the quartermaster. Catching it, Raphaella and the Drumbot looked to Ashes with interest. They twisted their wrist around to get a good look at it. “The fuck is this?”

The scrap was hooked into a chip, flashed a light every few seconds. It was compact and small, but as light as anything. A small cog was emblazoned on what clear side of metal wasn’t covered in fingernail-sized computers.

“Let me see-” Brian was quick to snatch it from their hands. Ashes gasped a response with some annoyance. Moving back to the console, he let Aurora do the heavy lifting analysis work. “Aurora, can you take a look at this?” Her console lit up and took in the scrap for a moment to analyze, before sliding back out of a small panel a little further along the wall. Marius quickly caught it and shuffled it between his hands.

At a positive chime that noted Aurora’s completion, the Toy Soldier rose from its seat to take part. Brian was slow to read, but immediately the wooden man skipped to the good part. 

“She Says It’s A Tracking Device!”

“Where the hell would you get a tracker from?” 

“It was in my jacket, Ashes.” Marius had begun to explain, as the device was set back down on the table. “I haven’t worn it in a while, and I don’t remember ripping that off anything important. Must’ve worn it last.. when, in what, The City? That crevasse planet with the bird-like people?” Raphaella shifted uneasily in her seat, enough for attention to be drawn to her. 

“I had the coat when Carmilla found me.” Raphaella’s wings drooped in realization, her eyes gazing to the floor. The crew all together seemed to release a tension throughout the room. Three of the present crew had travelled with Carmilla for a while and others whose experiences were kept close to their chests. The grouping of Brian and Ashes had expressions only to be described as grim, and with the Toy Soldier listening in, it could at least know well enough to read the room. 

Ashes knew well enough to shake that fear from their face and begin to sort out their next course of action. Brian was different. If Brian was able to lose colour- he would have lost all colour in his face. 

_ He had run. Of course he had, even despite the low percentages Ivy had given him.  _

_ “If you leave now, there’s an 84% chance you’ll be right back here.” Was about two years ago.  _

_ “Now?” _

_  
_ _ “78%” A year later. _

_ “Brian, not yet. About 67%” Was another ten months. _

_ Finally, he had left at a 58% chance of Carmilla finding him, and that was as long as he could have waited. The planet he had chosen to escape to was very much like his planet of origin. Slow to advance their technology, enough for people to stare and gawk at his metallic form, but not reliant on deities enough to throw him back to the void. He kept on the move as reports of D’Ville and O’Reilley surfaced- keeping one step ahead and an ear out for familiar gunfire and laughter.  _

_ He had no warning when he encountered Carmilla again. He had stayed in a small tavern, in an equally small town known for its mining automation. Despite his copper shine, he kept himself almost unnoticeable in his hermit lifestyle. Returning one evening, he found himself not alone in the room. In a long, dark coat, Carmilla sat at the window, overlooking the streets below. She didn’t turn to face him, just raised her head as he entered. Brian couldn’t help but ask.  _

_ “Could I ask how?” Carmilla gave a gentle hum in curiosity. “How did you find me?”  _

_ “Is it not too far off to assume my creations have a return address in order to retrieve them?” _

_ “You--” _ _  
  
_

_ “Of course I installed a tracking system. I’m not stupid, Brian. Now come on, we’re done with this game.” He was promptly returned to Aurora, a firm grip on his shoulder and a beady set of eyes locked onto him. Ivy gave him a sorry look with much softer eyes as they passed in Aurora’s corridors.  _

_ As almost the punishment for a child, he was taken directly to his quarters and firmly pushed inside. He didn’t bother to check the lock, though he trusted Aurora to cover for him. She c _ _ ould probably fake a miscommunication to the locking systems. However, he stayed put. _

__

_ Brian sat at the edge of his bed. He sat there for so long until finally, he couldn’t. Grabbing a screwdriver as he undid his vest and shirt, he reached to open up his chest. He wasn’t quite sure what he was looking for- he’d just pull out what he could and search through to find something, anything that could possibly be a tracker. He’d pull out every wire and artery and vein in his body to find it. His sensors blared in his mind, in what programming could simulate the sense of nerve endings.  _

__

_ In the end, it was in the back of his neck. He crushed it beneath his boot and kicked the remains underneath the bed.  _

__

_ He was promptly summoned to Carmilla’s Laboratory, and the next night he had a new morality core and a dial installed onto his throat. He could only assume a fresh tracker too. _

_  
  
  
_

_ After the airlock, all Mechanisms found and removed their trackers, and did as they pleased with them.  _

By the time Brian returned, Ashes was ready to lead the gathering to the bridge, with or without a spaced-out Brian. With a quick shake of his head, Brian joined the group. A plot was charted for the nearest colony.

* * *

The gathering stood at the docking doors of the starship. Raphaella had left to inform the others of the situation. Despite their quarrels, it was good for a crew to be on the same page. She obviously hadn’t gotten to everyone, as thunderous steps marched down the metal corridors towards the dock. 

Ashes turned lazily back to greet the newcomer. Without surprise, it was a recently regenerated Jonny. A pair of bloody holes still remained in his shirt, and some dried blood had been on the side of his head. If they were to place bets, Ashes would’ve been on Tim’s side (Brian would suggest later that it was Ivy’s doing- it was simple and didn’t waste too many bullets. No significant damage of the Aurora either). Jonny gestured wildly with his pistol as he talked.

“What are we doing landing so soon? This isn’t where I decided we-”

“Jonny, one, you didn’t decide anything. Two, we landed because we need to dispose of a tracker.” Ashes turned fully to face Jonny, as the others turned to greet him as well. The Toy Soldier even included a friendly wave.

“Couldn’t you just crush it? You know, on the ship?”

“Remember how well that worked for me? It’ll send signals to it’s console when destroyed.” Brian tapped his neck lightly. Jonny looked ready to rebut again, but was cut short by Ashes. 

“And if it stays moving, we’ll only get more time to distance ourselves.”

“Console? Whose console?”

“We believe it to be Carmilla’s. So, we’re planting it on some poor fucker on this planet.” Marius had begun to walk down the catwalk and exit the ship. 

“Oh.”

“We’ll be able to get her off our trail that way.” Brian waved and went to follow Marius down the ramp. 

“ _ Oh. _ ”

“Toy Soldier, wait here for us to return. Don’t let anyone on or off the Aurora.” It enthusiastically nodded and saluted to Ashes, before marching back and forth across the span of the hall. Jonny took a second to watch the three of them leave, before turning back down the depths of Aurora.

The colony itself was barely a glorified trading post. The settlement was in shambles and mostly posed at the entire marketplace, with people selling wares straight out of their homes. The dusty planet took to being more of a parking lot for countless starships and local hovercrafts.

The three kept their eyes on one another. Ashes thought it would be handy to restock rations while they were there, it would be busy enough to slip the scrap onto someone without too much hassle. 

It was practically a joke when someone pick-pocketed Marius, who had the chip on him. Maybe a couple of credits lost alongside it, but it was at least gone. 

And like that, they were off before anyone could marvel at Aurora’s shiny hull. 


End file.
